Lotus Elan Central

by **stinkerstag** » Thu 23.02.2006, 13:06

Hi again, I am about to get 2nd & 3rd synchros done on my box then give it a good service.
Which oil is the preferred type for the elan se & correct gearbox oil? Are fram oil filters good enough for the job or does anyone recommend anything better.
Thanks ,Steve.

by **Sy V** » Thu 23.02.2006, 13:13

Oh, this old chestnut again... ;-)

My choices

Engine: Mobil 1 Fully Synth 0W-40.
Gearbox: Castrol TAF-X 75W-90
Any aftermarket or the OEM filter but magnetic are better than non-magnetic.
There are also filters available with a non slip surface for hand tightening/removal and with a known size nut attachment on the top/end to assist removal in tight places - particularly good for us.

Be aware though, the choice of oils is a very subjective matter and you could get a load of various recommendations.

by **Rodman** » Fri 24.02.2006, 22:42

I have an SE, fully synthetic is not a good idea, oil appeared to be blow out the exhausted. Semi synthtic loose less oil.

by **Doug** » Fri 24.02.2006, 23:00

Redline MTL for gearbox

by **Monty** » Sat 25.02.2006, 00:03

Rodman wrote:I have an SE, fully synthetic is not a good idea, oil appeared to be blow out the exhausted. Semi synthtic loose less oil.

I would say there`s something wrong with u`r engine then :roll:

Steve,
I got My Redline MTL from demon tweaks

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/products/ProductDetail.asp?cls=ROAD&pcode=RED50204

by **Rodman** » Sat 25.02.2006, 17:06

I have tried nearly every combination of oil. It started when I had a tappet noise on startup over a year ago. The fully synthetic I lost 1pint per 500miles where as the semi 1/2pint 1500miles. The car has done 53,000miles. The synthetic oil was being blown through the breather trap.

by **Dico** » Sat 25.02.2006, 18:04

I use fully synthetic and use very little oil, perhaps half a pint to every 2000 miles.
Rodman, did you find one which quietened the tappets on start up? I have the same issue.
I think maybe the 0/40 i'm currently using maybe a little too thin.

by **Doug** » Sat 25.02.2006, 18:05

please realize you are discussing motor oil in a transaxle oil thread

by **Monty** » Sat 25.02.2006, 18:16

by **Dico** » Sat 25.02.2006, 18:22

Redline MTL for me also cock :-D

by **Dovey** » Sun 26.02.2006, 15:36

Thats interesting though, consumption of 1 litre fully synthetic (between max and min) ranges between 1000 miles and 8000 miles :shock:

Eh? How can this be?

by **Dico** » Sun 26.02.2006, 17:18

Dont know, but i've had a rethink and i dont think my estimate was too far out

by **schurch** » Mon 27.02.2006, 18:00

Chris Foulds recommended Castrol Magnatec 5W-30 too me as the correct oil...

by **Rodman** » Mon 27.02.2006, 22:14

Dico wrote:I use fully synthetic and use very little oil, perhaps half a pint to every 2000 miles.
Rodman, did you find one which quietened the tappets on start up? I have the same issue.
I think maybe the 0/40 i'm currently using maybe a little too thin.

Fully synthetic 0/40 generally kept it quiet on startup but oil loss and low pressure after the engine warmed up made me try all the semi's. The best todate has been Castrol then Selenia10/40, used in Alpha's. Tappet treatment didn't work. Some one has already mentioned the best method. Stop the engine then restart. See you at Donington.

by **Ultimatt** » Sat 31.03.2007, 00:19

What are the thoughts on a Redline Fully synth 10w30 oil?

Seems quite good spec and price.

Would appreciate your input.

http://www.turbobits.co.uk/acatalog/redline_10w30_synthetic_motor_oil_gallon.html

Matt

by **L.G.** » Sat 31.03.2007, 01:08

It's not an answer to your question, just wanted to add:

I recently had an oil change, I looked for 10w-30 because I wanted to follow the sticker on the engine bay but; all 10w-30's I found had "for diesel engines" stickers on them. I know you can use it both on diesel and petrol but I didn't go that way. Personally I got 15w-50 Mobil 1 because I didn't know what the old owner used. (and learned 2 days later that he used Shell 5w-40)

L.G.

by **Paul.P** » Sat 31.03.2007, 07:52

I might be wrong here, but pretty sure lotus recommend fully synthetic engine oil ?. Castrol RS 10/60 engine oil, & Castrol Taf X gearbox, as used by Kelvedon Motors & GST Performance. Rodman, might be wise to get a mechanic to have a look at your engine, cause it shouldn't blow 1ltr of oil out your breather in 500mls.

by **ESM** » Sat 31.03.2007, 10:02

I use Mobil 1 0W40.

Fully synthetic oils are the best by some distance. Friction losses in engines drops by around 4% with a synthetic oil - this gives more power and more economy. They also are the most effective at limiting wear - which is why many engines are best run in with a non-synthetic.

Some older engines (I mean older, I don't mean late 80s) need a more viscous oil because the bearing clearances are larger. Chris Foulds doesn't like synthetics too much largely because of this.

Different oils swell/shrink seals differently. So if you have a borderline seal one oil may be worse than another for loss through that seal. Which oil minimises your loss may vary depending on which seal causes the leak because all seals aren't all of the same composition. Oil formulation is scarily basic when it comes to seal compatibility; they are formulated with a mixture of elements known to cause either seal shrinkage or swell which are balanced to break even(ish). So worse oil loss isn't necessarily a synthetic vs semi or non-synthetic oil issue more a formulation to formulation issue (if Mobil 1 gives you issues another synthetic 0W40 oil might be better).

Synthetic oils can achieve low cold viscosities. So HVLs will pressurise faster with them, although any drips from leaky seals will be worse for the same reason. I'd certainly go 0W for choice. I prefer a W40 because it will give greater engine protection than a W30 (as a result of its higher viscosity) and the last approval Lotus issued was for a 0W40 not a 0W30. That's not to say a W30 won't be ok and it will incur less in the way of viscous losses but I'd say the Elan's engine is from the W40 oil technology era and so I stick with that because clearances etc are likely to have been designed with that level of viscosity in mind.

Engines run with synthetic oils are cleaner, if you put a synthetic oil in an engine previously run on non-synthetic you can dislodge a lot of gunge so run a short first oil/filter change interval if you switch.

by **Oliver** » Sun 01.04.2007, 19:23

I use Elf Excellium 5W/40 SL fully synthetic (from Renault dealers) and my HVL`s are now silent. And thats after using Mobil 1. Elf is good stuff - but a bit expensive.

by **Doug** » Tue 03.04.2007, 01:25

this is a crazy thread because it was originally written to ask about Gearbox oil, but has gone back and forth discussing both motor and gearbox oils -- so just be clear on what you are reading. Bottom line is all kinds of oils weights can be fine in the Elan engine. Lotus specified synthetic gearbox oil but did not specify synthetic motor oil. The USA sticker said 10W-30 or 5W-30, but the UK sticker was different --go figure??!!

People have used all weights and it's okay. Joe S (haven't seen him in the Forum for a while) works for one of the oil companies and has explained the nuances of this topic and how some oils are made with base oils and additives to change the viscosity and these are not quite as "pure" therefore and such technicalities. . . You can go with dino oil, a blend, or synthetic, but be warned, I can tell you from experience (not in Elan engine because I didn't convert it from this experience) that I converted a 1996 Mitsubushi engine from dino oil to synthetic and it leaked like a sieve--I put dino oil in after and all was well again. Bottom line, the best oil to use is the one that is changed frequently and kept at the proper level!! Not sure why I am ranting, but just wanted to point a few things out . . . . :smt102

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